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– A hunter in Ireland died Tuesday after a pet deer he was feeding attacked him, the Irish examiner reports. Gerard Withers, described as a “ renowned hunter, ” was bumped by the deer and trampled at the Duhallow Hunt Kennels in Liscarroll, according to the Irish Independent, noting that male deer become aggressive during the breeding season which runs from September to December. Deer and other animals are often kept in kennels so that hunting dogs become familiar with them and don’t chase them while hunting, the Examiner.
Withers, a married father of three young children, was found after friends worried about him when he didn’t return from feeding the animal. The 45-year-old did not respond. He received emergency medical care but was later pronounced dead in a local hospital. “It happened out of the blue,” says a friend Independent. ‘You cannot expect such a thing to happen. We are all devastated. We have lost a good man and a good hunter. ‘ (Read more stories of animal attacks.)